These accessible website tips focus on one simple idea: making your site easy to understand for technologies such as screen readers, which convert visual text to audible words. This also makes a site easier to index and be found by search engines, which will enhance SEO performance. Whether following Section 508 or WCAG 2.0, these accessible website tips are relatively easy to understand and apply:
- Words on the website should be easy to read by somebody who is visually impaired and by screen reader technology.
- Menus and navigation need to be easily discoverable by somebody who cannot see your website and be descriptive of the topic or purpose.
- Content that is repeated, such as sidebars, headers and footers, should have a means of bypass.
- Content should be clearly written and well structured.
- Pictures should have words in the code (known as Alt-tags) that describe
the picture. - Videos should have captions that describe the video.
- Audio files should have transcripts.
- Colour should not be the only visual means of conveying information or a change in information.
- The visual presentation of text and images should be high contrast and size adjustable.
- All content can be accessed by a keyboard and not just a mouse.
- Copy is best presented as live text that a screen reader can read—or search engine—and not embedded into an image file (particularly applies to headers and buttons).
- Forms and fields, such as newsletter signups and contact forms, should be able to be read by a screen reader and completed through a keyboard.
Why these accessible website tips matter
Around one in six people worldwide lives with a significant disability, and many more use assistive technology temporarily – a broken arm, a bright screen in sunlight, a slow connection that never loads images. Every barrier on a page turns some of those visitors away, usually silently, because people rarely complain; they simply leave. The same barriers are what accessibility laws such as the ADA, the European Accessibility Act and India’s RPwD Act look for, so the accessible website tips below are as much about risk as about kindness.
There is a business case too. Accessible pages are lighter, better structured and easier for search engines to understand, which is why accessibility and SEO improve together. And because these fixes are cheapest when built in from the start, the best time to apply accessible website tips is before the site launches – the second best time is today.
How to put these accessible website tips into practice
Twelve items can feel like a lot, so work in this order. Start with the barriers that stop people completely: keyboard access, form labels and the skip link. Then fix what makes content hard to understand: headings, link text, alt text, captions and transcripts. Finish with visual polish such as contrast and text resizing. Each of these accessible website tips maps to a WCAG success criterion, which means an auditor and a screen reader user will both notice when it is done.
Test with real assistive technology
Automated scanners such as axe, WAVE and Lighthouse catch roughly a third of real problems, so they are a starting point, not a certificate. After the scan, unplug the mouse and move through every page with Tab, Enter and the arrow keys. Then listen to the page with NVDA or JAWS on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, and TalkBack on Android. If a form cannot be completed by keyboard alone, or a screen reader announces “image” without a description, the accessible website tips above have not yet been applied.
Keep it accessible after launch
Accessibility drifts. A new banner, an embedded video without captions or a plugin update can undo weeks of work. Add the checks above to your publishing routine, keep an accessibility statement with a contact route on the site, and re-audit after every redesign. Our web accessibility case study shows what a full audit and remediation cycle looks like on a live site.
Accessible website tips: frequently asked questions
Which of these accessible website tips matter most?
Keyboard access, visible focus, form labels and meaningful alt text. These four decide whether a blind or motor-impaired visitor can use the site at all, and they are also the issues named most often in accessibility complaints and lawsuits.
Do accessible website tips help SEO as well?
Yes. Search engines read a page much like a screen reader does: headings, link text, alt text, captions and transcripts are all indexed. Sites that follow accessible website tips are usually faster and better structured, which search engines reward.
Is WCAG 2.0 still the standard?
WCAG 2.2 is the current version, and most laws cite WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Each version builds on the last, so the twelve accessible website tips here remain valid; newer criteria add things like larger tap targets, visible focus and accessible authentication.
Can a WordPress site follow these accessible website tips?
Yes. Choose an accessibility-ready theme, keep headings in order, write alt text for every image and avoid plugins that trap keyboard focus. Our WordPress accessibility theme and accessible plugins were built around exactly this checklist.
How do I know when my site is accessible enough?
When a keyboard-only user and a screen reader user can complete every key task – read, navigate, search, fill a form, buy – without help. An audit against WCAG 2.2 AA, repeated after major changes, is the practical way to prove it.
How long does it take to apply these accessible website tips?
On a small brochure site, a focused developer can cover all twelve in a few days. Larger sites with forms, e-commerce and video usually need two to four weeks, mostly spent on captions, transcripts and re-testing. Budget time for the testing as well as the fixing; the two are inseparable.
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